One particularly useful and popular type of shelf construction is an arrangement configured to be mounted in a bathtub or shower stall on a shower head and pipe. These types of shower shelves, sometimes referred to as "shower caddies", ordinarily are configured to support articles such as shampoo and creme rinse bottles, soap, washcloths, and the like for convenient use by bathers.
One shower shelf construction which has proven to be particularly popular with consumers is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,811. The shower shelf construction disclosed in this patent may be formed from plastic-coated metal wire for durability and corrosion-resistance. Significantly, the shelf construction illustrated in this patent includes an upper, generally inverted U-shaped gripping portion which receives the associated shower pipe, with the gripping portion defining a relatively reduced throat area so that the gripping portion coacts with the shower pipe to resist both longitudinal and rotational movement of the shelf with respect to the pipe. The resultant shelf construction is desirably stable and secure in use, and resists tipping or the like even if articles are placed in off-center relation to the shelf's centerline.
Although a plastic-coated wire shower shelf construction can be economically fabricated, techniques for injection-molding plastic material have become sufficiently sophisticated to permit very economical fabrication of articles, even those having relatively complex shapes. The present invention relates to a shower shelf construction which has been particularly configured for efficient injection-molding in one piece, with the preferred embodiment arranged to exhibit significant structural integrity and stability in use, while desirably minimizing the quantity of plastic material required for molding.